3/5/08

"It's pretty sometimes, sure, but it doesn't do to leave gorgeous alone, and sometimes you have to punch the blushing bride in the face, you the low-hearted puggish bridesmaid with nary a suitor."

- from (I swear to God) the official bio that came with the disc

Despite the recent infrequency with which I've been writing about music, I requested a review copy of Colour Revolt's soon-to-be-released Plunder, Beg, and Curse [edit: it's available now at eMusic!] because they really rocked when they opened for Brand New a year and a half ago. And despite the bio that greeted me when I opened the envelope (it's three paragraphs of that shit) and the supremely creepy cover art, I was quite determined to like what I heard before I even pressed play. I guess you should know that going into this.

As the CD ripped, and I wondered whether the bio indicated a band that takes itself too seriously* or one that doesn't take its audience seriously at all (maybe both), I tried to conjure up a recollection of exactly what I liked so much about Colour Revolt in the first place. It wasn't the lyrics, which is what usually enthralls me about a band; there was no making lyrics out that night above the din. It was the groove. Five guys on stage playing LOUD, but tight, and slow. If you're a New Yorker or a New Englander and you've ever been intrigued in conversation with a Southerner by the careful, relaxed cadence of her speech, well it's kinda like that...only with rock. You don't realize how fast everyone plays loud music until you hear a band slow down a bit when they get to the instrumental breaks, as CR does in opening track "Naked and Red." They hail, incidentally, from Mississippi. And they play music that's well suited to that full-body-head-nod that's (let's face it) the only dance you know.

Here's the thing: It only works loud. My first listen was on my computer speakers at low volume while I folded laundry. I was...unimpressed. My second listen was in my car, cranked. And when I heard this band slip into a hot, sticky groove as loudly as my little Yaris could play it, I was reminded, quite pleasantly, of why I was interested in the first place. When Colour Revolt is good, when they're indulging in their sound, they're very good. If grooves are what move you, you should listen to this record. Loud. I like it more and more every time I play through it.

If you're interested, the aforementioned "Naked and Red" is currently available for download at myspace.com/colourrevolt and it's as good a place to start as any. You can't download "A Siren," but that one's pretty rad too.

* The record ends with "What Will Come of Us," which itself ends with some backwards muttering. I couldn't resist re-reversing it to see what the whole thing was about. Turns out it's a comment on how "that end part's fucking tight" and how Len is "dropping that shit." Hear for yourself.